Priming-cup



W. S. EATON.

PRIMING CUP.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 15. 1917.

1,372,494. Patented Mar, 22, 1921.

INVENTOR.

5 l4 ATTORNEY l at fired at the first cblnpression stroke ofthe nmreo STATES ATENT o FlcE.

u r ILLIAM s. EATON, or SAG HARBOR, NEW YonK.

T0 cllwhomtmiay concern: a i i Be it known thatI, VVILLIAM S. EATON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sag Harbor, in the county of Suffolk, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Priming-Cups,

of which the following isa specification, refercnce'being had therein to the accompany-f mg draw1ngs,ivh1ch form a part thereof; a

Myinvention relates to primingcups, and more 1:;articularly to al device offthis character adapted to be applied to each engine cylinder and to belactuated solely by the,

diiferential of pressure in cylinders during each cycle of operations of the engine.

A priming cup made in accordance with my invention 1s so constructed as to permit mechanism in a manner to prevent the blow ing out of the reserve supply of gasolene,

or other priming agent, during those piston strokes ofa cycle during which the pressure in the cylinder will be above atmosphere. The priming cup of my invention is particularly adapted for internal combustion engines of the four cycle type, and it is pos sible with this priming cup, to fill the cups uponall the cylinders, atthe same time, the introduction of the priming charge, upon cranking the engine, being limited ,tothat cylinder in which the pistonis moving out wardly, or making its intake stroke. The operation of aprimlngcup made in accordance with my invention being automatic throughout, it may be effectively used with mechanical starters and requires nonttention beyond the hand filling of the several cups with gasolene, or other hydrocarbon,

constituting the priming charge.

A priming cup made in accordance with;

my invention isjso constructed and arranged that each p rilningcharge will be drawn therefrom only when there 1SSUl)at-IZ1OS' phericpressure Within the cylindeaand that this charge will be so llrnlted in volume as to preventthe delivery of an excess quantity ofhydrocarbon from the priming cup. Furthermore, succeeding priinings will be of substantially the same volume, and, even though the charge in the cyllnder may be Application filed February 15,1917. Serial No, 148,709.

described and more particularly rename-cur.

specificationoftecersrmni. Patented Man-22, 192i.

piston therein, the priming cup on each of the cylinders will continue to be operative to enrich the mixture of succeeding charges,

to facilitate the starting of, the engine and its operation until it has developed the de sired speed or power and has become sufficiently hot to lnsure the continued runnlng of the engine. The further object of the invention is to provide a priming cup *WlllCll 111 YES functionings will have the operative effects above referred to, and which, a 1n addltion thereto, Wlll have the added function, upon the exhaustion of the sup ply of the priming medium in the reservoir thereof, of admitting air in small volume directly to the cylinders of the engine upon each intake stroke of the pistonthererunning at higher speeds.

A priming cup made in accordance with my intention has the characteristics, that under no circumstances, can gases escape therethrough from {the cylinder during the compression power or exhaust strokes of the piston.

The invention consists primarily in a priming; cup embodying therein a reservoir having a top open to atmosphere and being of a capacity to receive hydrocarbon for a number of priming" charges, a valvecasing having a port therein communicating with said reservoir, a constricted ofhtake port leading therefrom adapted to discharge into an engine cylinder, said off-take port having; relatively smaller capacity than said intakeport, a valve seat achacent said port leadmounted to move freely in said chamber,

1 and cooperate with said valve seat and means-adapted to normally seat said valve block whereby said duct will be open dur' mg the intake stroke of a piston 1n the cyl' lnder to whlch the pr ming cup 1s applied,

and willbe closed during: the remaming strokes of the piston; and in such other novel features of construction and combination of parts as are hereinafter set forth and pointed out in the claimshereto appended of, in a manner to increase the efliciency of the explosive charge while the engine is In the accompanying drawings, I have shown, d1agrainmatlcally a four cycle type of internal combustion engine havlng ap plled to each cyllnder thereof a prlmlng cup made in accordance with my invention, the priming cups intwo of the cylinders being shown in veltical section with the valve 'mechanism in the open and in the closed ponumerals, 1, 2, 3 and 4, the pistons in cyl- V inders l an'dt being shown at the limit of their in stroke and the piston of cylinders 2 and 3 being shown at the limit of their out stroke. 7

In the embodiment of my invention shown in the drawing, a indicates a reservoir adapted to receive a sufficient volume of gasolene, or other hydrocarbon, for a number of priming charges. This reservoir is open at the top and is'mounted upon, or formed integrally with, a casing Z) having exterior screw threads by means of which the cup may be applied to an engine cylinder. The casing b has therein a valve chamber 0 having a 1301" (Z communicating with the bottom of the reservoir on and an outlet port, or ports. discharging into an engine cylinder. Within the chamber 0 is-a valve. block 0 preferably a metal ball. mounted to move freely therein and adapted to cooperate with a valve seat f about the port (Z within the said chamber in a manner to normally prevent the flow of hydrocarbon from said cup. Carried by the lower end of the casing Z) is a plug 9 having an opening 9' therein forming a cupfor a spring h acting upon the valve block e in a manner to normally seat same to close the port 03. The ports establishing communication between the chamber 0 and the engine cylinder are preferably formed by a plurality of channels .z' in the sides of the plug g,

' these channels being sufliciently small to permit only a limited quantityof hydrocarbon to flow therethrough during that interval coinciding with the intake stroke of the piston; while at the same time, causing this hydrocarbon to enter the cylinderin the form of spray. r c

The spring h is of suiiiciently light ten sion to permit the unseating of the valve a under sub-atmospheric pressure developed in the cylinder upon the intake stroke of the piston while being sufiiciently strong to seat said valve independently of the pressure developed by the compression or explosion of gases in the cylinder.

The cup (2 is provided with an exterior, hexagonal portion to facilitate its application or removal from a cylinder.

Theopera-tiOn of the herein described priming cup is substantially as follows In describing the operation of the cup, it will 'be assumed that the engine is dead and that the pistons of cylinders 1 and 4 have been raised to the full extent of their in stroke, and that the pistons in cylinders 2 and 3 have been lowered to the full extent of their out stroke.

Before starting the engine, the reservoir a from any of these reservoirs into the cylinder to which the cup is applied, so long as the englne is at rest. The engine is then turned over, elther by hand or by means of a mechanical starter. Ordinarily the pressure in cylinder 4. will be suiliciently great to prevent the outer movement of the piston therein developing sub-atmospheric pressure in said cylinder. As the piston of cylinder 1. however, moves outwardly it will draw in a charge of explosive mixture through the carbureter. and at the same time develop subatmospheric pressure in the cylinder, thus unseating the valve 6, and drawing a priming charge from the reservoir a of the cup carried by said cylinder, through the port (I and channels 2', which hydrocarbon will be sprayed into the cylinder thus enriching the charge delivered through the intake port of the engine. Immediately upon the termination of the intake stroke of the piston in this cylinder. and during the initial compression stroke thereof, the pressure in the cylinder will be raised snfiiciently to permit the spring It to seat the valve 0 and thus interrupt the flow of the hydrocarbon from the reservoir (21., and at the same time, prevent the gases under compression in the cylinder. entering said reservoir and forcing any of the remaining hydrocarbon therefrom. Upon the ignition, or power, stroke of the piston in cylinder 1, the piston in cylinder 4, will draw in its charge of explosive mixture, and with it a priming charge from the priming cup applied to said cylinder 4;; the cylinders 2 and 8 in succession drawing in a charge oi explosive mixture through their intake {)Olts and a priming charge through the priming cup applied to each.

The priming charge delivered to each cylinder consists of a portion only of the contents of the reservoir of the priming cup. and its delivery ceases immediately with a reversal in the direction of the movement of the piston for the compression stroke thereof. In this manner, each of the cylinders in succession will receive a priming charge so that in the event any cylinder misses, the next cylinder will be primed. Hence lilo likelihood of igniting a charge in one of the cessive explosive charges delivered to each cylinder will be similarly enriched so that when the charge in one of the cylinders is fired that cylinder will have been primed prior to such ignition. At the same time, the introduction in the form of a spray, of a small volume of hydrocarbon into the cylinder will prevent the accumulation of an excess of hydrocarbon in the cylinder, although danger from back firing in the muffler is not eliminated.

In the event that the charge in cylinder 1 is ignited upon the first compression stroke of the piston therein, the explosive charge upon a number of succeeding intake strokes of the piston, will be enriched by the introduction of hydrocarbon, from the prim ing cup applied to that cylinder, thus insuring a suiiiciently rich mixture upon the starting of an engine, or until it has an 0199 portunity to become slightly heated and to pick up speed. 0

During the compression, ignition and exhaust strokes of a piston, whether or not the explosive chargehas been fired, the valve 6 will remain seated so that it is impossible for any of the gases within the cylinder to escape through the primingcup.

When the supply of hydrocarbon in the reservoir has been exhausted, the valve e will still be automatically actuated durlng each intake stroke of the piston, so that air in small volume will be admitted directly to the cylinder through the priming cup. It is generally recognized that the ad mission of a small volume of air to the cylinder tends to add to the engine efficiency,

and to economy in its operation, particularly at the higher speeds; provided that the volume of air introducedis not sufiicient to dilute the explosive charge to an extent which will impair its efliciency. The ports in a priming-cup made in accordance with my invention, are sufliciently small to prevent the admission of an excessive volume of air, or of a volume of hydrocarbon in excess of that required for an effective priming charge.

It is not my intention to limit the invention to the details of construction shown in the drawings, it being apparent that such may be varied without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having described the invention, what I claim as new, and desire to have protected by Letters Patent is 15A priming cup embodying therein reservoir having a top open to atmosphere and being of a capacity to receive hydrocarbon for a number of priming charges, a valve casing having an intake port therein communicating with said reservoir, a valve seat about said port and a constricted offtake port leading therefrom and adapted to communicate with an engine cyhnder, said off take port having relatively. smaller capacity thansaid intake port, a valve block mounted to move freely in said casing and cooperate with said valve seat and means adapted to normally seat said valve block whereby said duct will be opened during the intake stroke of the piston in the cylinder to which the priming cup is applied and will a be closed during the remaining stroke of the piston. 7

.2. A priming cup embodying therein a reservoir having a top open to atmosphere and being of a capacit to receive hydrocarbon for a number of priming charges, a

" valve casing having an intake port therein t which the priming cup is applied and will be closed during theremaining stroke of the piston.

3QA priming cup embodying therein a casing adapted to be connected with an engine cylinder, a reservoir having a top open to atmosphere and being of a capacity to receive hydrocarbon for a number of priming charges surmounting said casing, and said casing having therein a valve chamber, an intake port leading therefrom into the bot tomof said reservoir, and a valve seat about said port, a cup shaped screw plug mounted in the bottom of said casing, said plug having a shallow channel on the side thereof of relatively smaller capacity than said intake port, a valve seated in said valve chamber adapted to cooperate with said valve seat and a spring having a light tension acting upon said valve whereby the flow of priming fluid from the said reservoir will be prevented at all times excepting when the pressure in an engine cylinder is sub'atmospheric.

In witness whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature in the presence of two subscribing witnesses this 31stday of J and ary,.1917.

WILLIAM S. EATON.

lVitnesses CLARICE FRANGK, BERTI-IA MUELLER. 

